Unbreakable
by Liquid Fire KAN
Summary: "Here," Ichigo handed him the object nonplussed. Chad's eyes widened. Suddenly, he was grateful that Ichigo could see his expression. "You were trying to help. So am I now. That's what nakama are for. So keep this coin as a proof of our friendship." Post chapter 479.


**Disclaimer: BLEACH and all trademarks are the sole and rightful property of Tite Kubo and Shueisha Publishing.**

**Summary: **_"Here," Ichigo handed him the object nonplussed. Chad's eyes widened. Suddenly, he was grateful that Ichigo could see his expression. "You were trying to help. So am I now. That's what nakama are for. So keep this coin as a proof of our friendship." Post chapter 479._

**A/N: **Written because I felt the nakama did not have enough of a resolution at the end of the FB arc. Read, review, enjoy.

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**Unbreakable**

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Idly, Ichigo stared at his ceiling. His homework lay on the study table, incomplete and forgotten. Its owner no longer cared to bother with it.

Ichigo sighed and glanced over at the loose papers which threatened to overflow off his desk. He had really let himself go these past seventeen months. Another sigh – his shinigami powers were back and the shinigami were back and Rukia was back, but he still did not want to do homework. It was something he didn't care about nowadays.

As far as he was concerned, he just wanted to be a shinigami – a damn shinigami. He was only happy with that life.

Somehow, he had been granted exactly that. By some stroke of fate, his shinigami powers had been restored not a week ago. By some stroke of fate, and a lot of Rukia, everything had gone back to normal.

He scoffed. Nothing ever remained normal, and to begin with his life was not normal – not in the least. His father was a fucking shinigami, he could see spirits, had fought in a secret shinigami war and died only to come back to life.

Life was anything but normal. But life seemed normal enough now. So he supposed he should do homework and sat up. Then he stood.

The smell of dinner wafted up from the kitchen. Almost instantly, Ichigo was hungry. Homework could wait – his stomach grumbled in assent. The spirit phone (which he had been assured was much different than a soul pager), Urahara had gifted him beeped almost simultaneously. He pulled it from his pocket and glared at it.

A baffled expression came over him almost instantly afterwards. Hollows he had been expecting; a call from an unknown number he had not.

As such, he did the only logical thing – he answered it.

"This is Kurosaki -"

"We know who you are," a voice interrupted from the other end.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. This qualified as strange even for him. "Well then… what the fuck do you want with me?"

"Come to the docks."

He almost laughed. How stupid did this guy think he was? Why would he go to the docks where a gang was probably waiting to ambush him?

"Come to the damned docks!" the man said again. Ichigo frowned. The idea of going just to beat some sense into this idiot was starting to sound very appealing…

"Why the fuck should I come to the docks?"

The man on the other end sighed. "Don't make me fucking repeat myself, Kurosaki."

He snorted. "I'll make you repeat yourself as many times as I fucking want because your stupid request makes no damn sense. Tell me why in the hell I should come to the docks and I'll consider it?"

"Alright… How's this sound to you, Kurosaki? Come to the docks or Sado Yasutora dies."

And the line was cut.

Ichigo's blood ran cold. This was not good – not in his world, not in anyone's world. Grabbing his shinigami pass (just in case), Ichigo slammed the door to his room shut behind him with a fervor rarely seen in him anymore.

It took a lot to shake him, and this had shaken him.

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From the kitchen, Yuzu could hear someone clamoring down the stairs as though their life was in peril.

She frowned. No one but her brother was home. Karin had gone to a soccer match, and her father was at a convention. Or at Urahara's she imagined.

Since being inducted into the loop, shinigami affairs didn't bother her. Her family was still her family regardless of their supernatural existence. A frown – nonetheless, she worried for her family's safety. Death, after all, was an occupational hazard.

"Ichi-nii, what's wrong?"

"Ah," his voice was off, "Nothing, Yuzu… nothing's the matter. I'm just going out for a bit – should be back by dinner."

Yuzu poked her head out of the kitchen and watched as her brother threw on a coat and exchanged his slippers for a pair of runners. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere really…" her brother replied nonchalantly waving his hand dismissively not wanting to worry her. "Don't worry. It's not a hollow thing."

Her mouth opened slightly in approval and the door slammed shut behind her brother. For a moment she stood still, and then returned to the kitchen and restarted dinner – her brother would not lie to her. He was probably just going to the market.

But somehow, that just did not sound proper.

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There was a time when his legs would ache as he ran – the past two years namely. The speed and rush had been all too reminiscent of his time as a shinigami, so much so that it pained him physically.

Now, he was unbridled with a renewed vigor which he was sure had something to do with his newly restored powers. That, he thought, and the message which echoed chillingly in his ears. _"Come to the docks or Sado Yasutora dies."_

Ichigo scowled. Most likely, it was an empty threat. Often times, gangs never had the guts to follow through with them for fear of condemnation at the hands of the law.

His pace quickened. They would probably not do anything… but just to be safe. Often times gangs tended to have poor judgment or close to none at all. All of his previous run-ins with them (some good; some not so good), had taught him at least that much.

When it came to nakama, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Sharply turning a corner, Ichigo readied himself for a fight as the looming warehouses drew nearer and nearer with each hurtling step.

"Hold up Chad… I'm coming."

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"He won't come," Chad said plainly.

Todlich Mamushi just sneered at him. "Of course he'll fucking come… Kurosaki bastard comes even to save strangers sometimes! You're his best friend – of course he'll come, idiot!"

Chad shook his head sadly. There was no reason Ichigo would come to save him. Once upon a time they had been best friends, yes. After the incident with the fullbringers, Ichigo hadn't called him even once. His screw up had cost him a friendship and a very treasured friendship at that.

He sighed. Still, that was nothing he could tell Todlich. But he tried again, nonetheless. "He will not come."

Todlich took a slug at him with the brass knuckles he so proudly wore on his fist. The two men holding him down on either side laughed as blood seeped from his abdomen. "I thought I told you to shut the fuck up, idiot! He'll come. When he does, I'll kill him. No one makes a fool out of Todlich Mamushi! No one bests me! You got that!?"

Chad remained motionless.

Annoyed, Todlich took another swipe. Some more blood seeped from the newly formed wounds. "I said: You got that!?"

No response again, and Todlich punched him again – harder than before and Chad's body groaned in protest. He was big built, but the punches still hurt. He clenched his fist but did not retaliate – he had promised he wouldn't.

But the blows kept coming. Blood continued to seep from his wounds.

Though he knew Ichigo would never come to save him, he hoped that by some miracle, he would forgive him for the fiasco with the fullbringers and come. His head hung low; Ichigo would never forgive him – not in a million years.

The doors to the warehouse swung open nearly breaking off their hinges. Both men holding him glanced upwards and scowled. Todlich did the same. "I knew you'd come, Kurosaki!"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "I figured you did. Only thing is, I don't know why in the hell you wanted me to come! Are you itching to have your ass handed to you again so much so that you kidnapped Chad!?"

Furious, Todlich threw his arms up. His men appeared ready to attack. Ichigo scowled, annoyed but not in the least concerned. The only reason Chad had lost was because of his promise never again to fight for his own gain. These guys weren't tough at all.

One came at him from the right – he dodged and punched him out. Two ran at him. He flipped them both. "Your men can't beat me, Todlich. Call it quits and I won't kick your ass too hard!"

"Yeah right, Kurosaki," he laughed, "I'm just getting ready." He threw his arms up yet again and more men emerged. This time, they had weapons – swords (no problem), nunchucks (easy), metal rods (way too easy), a gun… A bead of sweat trickled down Ichigo's face. The gun was problematic and would hurt like a bitch.

Smug, Todlich grinned widely. "Do you want to call it quits, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo's scowl grew – backing down from a fight was not something he would ever do. "Yeah fucking right – bring it!"

Chad's eyes widened. "Don't be stupid."

A smile graced Ichigo's lips. "I'm not being stupid; just being a friend, because we're nakama!"

And he lunged blindly at the gunman. A shot rang out…

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Chuckling softly, Ichigo slumped even more against Chad's back as he piggy-backed him. "Damn… I've never seen that many idiots go flying…"

"Ichigo, that was reckless."

Nonchalant, Ichigo laughed. "Yeah, yeah… I know it was reckless and stupid. You don't need to tell me that. But hey, you're alright, and I'm alright."

Chad stopped walking and Ichigo grinned ruefully into his shoulder. "Alright… I'm good for the most part… I'm alive, so just leave it."

"You could have died," Chad said as he began walking again.

"I know… But it's alright because I would have died for your sake."

Perplexed, Chad frowned. "For my sake?"

"We're nakama. And what I want more than anything is to protect my nakama. So dying for you would have been fine."

"But Ginjo…"

Ichigo smiled slightly, reached down and pulled a small charm from his shirt. "Ichigo, I'm sorry."

"There's no need to say sorry."

"But I…"

"Here," Ichigo handed him the charm nonplussed. Chad's eyes widened. Suddenly, he was grateful that Ichigo could see his expression. "You were trying to help. So was I when I came to kick Todlich's ass… It doesn't matter to me that I was shot. I'm just glad I was able to have your back! That's what nakama are for. So keep this coin as a proof of our friendship."

Something lightened within Chad. Though their bodies were far from unbreakable, their friendship was that exactly.

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**Fin**

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**References:**

_Todlich Mamushi (Deadliest Serpent) –_Don't ask me why I chose this name. I'm undergoing a German phase… Mamushi just sounded cool.

**A/N: **Read, review and enjoy Ichigo and Chad bonding. I like their dynamic even if Chad is more or less a fodder character as of late.

Sorry for the anticlimactic fight scene – I suck at writing battle sequences.

My final piece before school begins… I am dreading tomorrow.

**~ Liquid Fire KAN**


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